Television Personalities Release New Singles

Now that Dan Treacy is back, it appears he's here to stay. Since releasing the post-prison comeback LP My Dark Places, Treacy's Television Personalities have been a flurry of activity, starting a tour here, releasing a seven-inch there and doing their best to keep the troubled songwriter on the straight and narrow. For those who've discovered the pop wonders of these seminal post-punk survivors, it's perhaps the best resurgence anyone could have hoped for, and even better now that the band have announced several new releases are lined up and in the works.

First up, TV Personalities have given word that they have two new seven-inches on the way. The first comes by way of Elefant Records on March 2 and sports the new track "People Think That We're Strange" on the A-side and "A Glimpse of My Genius" on the flip, which apparently evokes "a pop punk drunk Velvet Underground" and, oddly enough, gives a wink to UK pop-tart Lily Allen, the label says.

Later this year, the band plan to release seven-inch number two, which contains the new songs "My New Tattoo" and "Funny He Never Married." And while there is no firm due date on this one, here's how the band describe it in their latest newsletter: "The A-side will have the mods jumping on their vespas and heading for the coast... until Texas Bob's psychedelic e-bow kicks in and causes a tailspin. Meanwhile, Dan reckons the B-side sounds 'a bit Galaxie 500,' which isn't a bad thing... is it?" (No, it's not a bad thing.)

In addition to the two singles, the group say they are in the midst of compiling some upcoming live albums, as well as working on a proper follow-up to My Dark Places. Again, the details are a bit sparse on these ones (i.e., non-existent), but the band ensured Exclaim! that the new studio album "is in the pipeline."

To get ahold of the two seven-inches, you can currently pre-order "People Think That We're Strange" at Elefant's website or email [email protected] to order copies of either release. However, both are being pressed in very limited quantities, so if you want one, it's likely a good idea to get on that ordering.